Borat Attacked

[Brian Damage]

HOLLYWOOD - Comedian Sacha Baron Cohen was attacked in New York City on Saturday after playing a prank on a passer-by while in character as Kazakh journalist Borat.
The British star was on his way to a dinner date with actor friend Hugh Laurie, after they had both appeared on Saturday Night Live.

Cohen approached the man and said, "I like your clothings. Are nice. Please may I buying? I want have sex with it."

The man responded by punching Cohen in the face repeatedly.

Laurie was forced to step in and push the man away, so Cohen could escape.

A source tells British newspaper The Sun, "Sacha is very lucky he didn't get a much worse beating."

[Karen*]

Awwww.

If he did that to me, I'd probably freak out and walk away cuz I don't have the balls to punch anyone in the face. But I'd probably laugh about it with people later.

[ABlairican Pie]

Reminds me of something I saw on Monty Python about a suggestive English/Hungarian phrase book.

Well, I guess Mr. Borat guy has to remember, some people haven't seen the movie, and besides, what do you think people would do when hearing a comment like that? Well, he takes his chances, I guess.

[Lex Luthor]

I am sure it is not the first time, it is that kind of reaction that has made him so popular.

[TJL]

As Steve Martin once said, "Comedy isn't pretty."

[comedyfreak]

That's what happens when you act like an arse, lol.

[ponytail]

It was bound to happen.

[Superstar]

It's his own fault so...yeah.

[TJL]

You know things are bad when the guy from "House" has to come to your rescue.

I wonder if Hugh Laurie used his cane?

[Jrnygrl]

He should be beaten for stealing Andy Kaufmann's act.

[Max Whittaker]

Must not have been a fan...

Quite frankly, I'm surprised it doesn't happen more often.

[Adamantium]

Originally Posted by Jrnygrl

He should be beaten for stealing Andy Kaufmann's act.

When I first heard about Borat, I thought of Andy Kaufman. He was the best. Oh the people of the 1980s hated him, what with the whole wrestling thing, but they love him now. Which proves he really was ahead of his time. Sure wish his comic genius could be furthered on DVD with the releases of "Taxi" seasons 4 and 5. Paramout, ya listening?

So what happened to the guy who punched him? I mean, even though Borat annoyed and maybe humiliated the man, you still can't go around punching people repeatedly.

[Central Perk]

Romanian Villagers React to Their Portrayal in 'Borat' Film
By LAMA HASAN
GLOD, Romania, Nov. 17, 2006 — - We went in search of "Borat" and were shooed away with brooms.

We tried getting to the bottom of arguably the most offensive movie in theaters this year, and people told us they'd like to kill the star, comedian Sacha Baron Cohen.

Barring that, they're going to sue him!

The Romanian village of Glod stands in for Kazakhstan in the film, "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan."

Glod literally means mud, and that's only some of what its people would like to sling at Cohen and his production company.

About 85 miles from Romania's capital, Bucharest, Glod looks like something out of the Middle Ages.

About 1,400 people live in Glod, and, by Western standards, one could say they are dirt poor.

The air is rancid, probably from the fires that burn on the outskirts of the village. The sight of old women carrying wood is common as is the manure that litters the narrow roads. The majority of villagers live on welfare benefits. Some try to make a living by selling their produce, such as fruits and mushrooms, while others sell woven baskets and slabs of stone.

"These people will do anything for money. Of course they were going to take part in [the film]," said the deputy mayor of the five-town region where the film was shot. "They thought they were earning money for not doing a lot of work."

Can you blame them? Being in a movie is fun. Unless, of course, you are portrayed as a rapist, hooker or prostitute, as some of the people in Glod were.

Most people here would not talk to us unless we paid them. There were a couple of screaming matches between our local fixers and the villagers who initially thought we were shooting a similar movie.

Our guide for the day was local councillor Nicolae Staicu, who told us the villagers had been approached by a lawyer, and surprise, ABC News has learned that a German lawyer named Michael Witte will be filing suit in the United States next week against Cohen and 20th Century Fox.

Witte made headlines six years ago when he helped win Holocaust victims compensation from the German government and industry. So maybe it's not all about the money.

"We were mocked and should have made much more money," said Staicu, who has joined with the son of a character in the film to rally the town against the Hollywood studio.


In the movie, Spiridon Ciorbea is portrayed as a local mechanic who performs abortions on the side.

We found him welding a green iron gate. He told us he was paid $70 for his role in the movie and had no idea what his cameo role was in Cohen's fictional road trip.

"Yes, I fix cars and I'm a welder, but I know nothing about abortions. How can I do anything like that with these hands that are full of scars?"

The grandfather of 11 children threatened to attack Borat, if Cohen came back to face him.

"If he does, I will hit him over the head with this hammer." With a wide smile, his teeth brimming with gold, he said, "If a lawsuit goes ahead, I will sue."


"I was stunned. How could he show my father in such a way?" asked Ciorbea's son Ion. He too has a message for Cohen: "If I see Borat, I will kill him with my own hands."


Paulina Solomon also has a bone to pick with Borat. She showed us her contribution to the movie, which earned her $100.

Her old, blue Dacia car served as Borat's horse-drawn vehicle.

"They took it to Bucharest, and when they brought it back the engine was full of sand. I had to pay $500 to get it fixed. I want my money back," she said.


And then we met the man who owns "Borat's house."

It's more like a shack, but no we didn't see a cow in the living room. Gherorghe Luca owns the house. He was so opposed to talking to us, he began screaming.


We were of course invading his town, so we don't really blame him. Luca's wife shooed us away with a broom.

"There is no point in suing. Nothing will change," said one of the neighbors who also said that Cohen's production company had called her telling her not to waste time contacting a lawyer because they "won't get anything."

Greg Brilliant, a spokesman for 20th Century Fox, defended the behavior of the film production team in Glod, in a phone interview with ABCNEWS.com.

He said the villagers involved "were extras that were hired to be in a movie. They were paid to do that. Nobody was made fun of."

Brilliant went on to say that the movie "is a satire that has a message of tolerance. It exposes bigotry and racism."

He also highlighted Cohen's generosity to Glod, saying the comedian had given $10,000 to the village.

Not everyone is angry at the comedian with the moustache.

Luca Irina, who also goes by the name of Chocolata, blurted out, "Borat is the best. He is funny."

She showed us the dance moves that earned her a small role in the movie. Irina also happens to be the only person in Glod who has seen the movie.

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